One Week In

A little over two weeks ago I was swinging in a hammock in our little room in Salvatierra. It was 95 degrees outside and the wind was stirring up the dust on our dirt floor as the kids napped in their tents. A chicken walked through to see what he might find on the ground. Outside I heard a wild horse run by and a pig scurried out of the way. A Guarayo woman walked past with a basket of firewood strapped to her forehead. I remember thinking, two weeks from today I’ll be in Texas. It didn’t seem real at the time but it did happen and we are here.

We’ve been home for one week and we are still adjusting. We’ve really enjoyed spending time with family and are looking forward to visiting my parents and our church there this weekend. It has been great to see our kids play with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Church Sunday was really overwhelming, but we were excited to see everyone and to thank them for setting up this amazing house we are staying in.

We’re trying to catch up on all the technology. I didn’t know DVD players were so 2010. Who knew that not only can we download movies now but we watch most of our TV shows streaming from the Internet. The house we are in is a little bit out in the country. Well, everybody keeps saying, you guys are just so far out there. But to me it is a place where it is far enough from the Interstate that you can’t hear the traffic but is only 7 minutes from the nearest Target store. I call that perfection. Anyway, everybody keeps saying that the only Internet we can get is so slow. We think it is so fast that we don’t know what to do with ourselves. And even though it is so much slower than everybody else’s, we can still watch TV using it and download a file that would have taken us hours in Bolivia. We are pretty happy about the changing technology.

We are still exhausted and trying to de-stress. So please pray that we would be able to do that and recharge a little.

Baptism in Salvatierra

After a year of work from our team, most of the blood, sweat and tears shed by our guys, we got to see a baptism in Salvatierra! We had talked to the whole group about baptism and it was clear that they really didn’t understand what would literally happen when they got baptized or what it would be like. Some were nervous about the actual process and others openly expressed concern about what others in their community would say about them when they saw them being baptized. They talked about doing it in another community to avoid being made fun of. We encouraged them to have the baptism in their own community to show everyone the decision they had made. Even though it would be difficult for them, it was their first step of obedience. We scheduled a day for the baptism but up until that day we weren’t sure if anyone was really going to go through with it. Because of the cultural barrier, we weren’t exactly sure what they were thinking.

I’ll tell the rest of the story in pictures.

The walk to the river was serious. It was obvious that the ones who had decided to get baptized where not taking this decision lightly. Humberto, one of the men baptized, is pictured here walking in front of the group, which is symbolic, since he is an obvious leader in the new church.

Pictured here is Mariluz with Trent and Ascencio, a Guarayo believer from another city who traveled out with us to help with the baptism.

Mariluz was the first one to wade out into the river and get baptized. This is very fitting since she has always been the one to initiate things. She has taken care of our team like a mother would and every time it is time for a story session, she goes around town and gathers everyone together.

Adela and Mariluz are good friends and have been in this together from the start. When I was talking to Mariluz about who she thought might get baptized, she told me, “Adela and I have decided that we are gonna do it.” I thought this was such a sweet way of showing that they will support and encourage each other in this decision and in their walk with the Lord.

Benjamin would always sit on the outskirts of the group listening to the stories but we weren’t sure how much of it he was understanding. On the day of the baptism, he said to us, “I want to change. Sometimes I get mad and hit my mom and dad and I don’t want to live like that anymore.” After Benjamin was baptized, Trent said to the onlookers that he hoped they would follow in Benjamin’s model of faith.

Humberto is Mariluz’s husband. From the beginning he has been supportive but not nearly as involved as Mariluz and up until the day of baptism I really thought he wasn’t going to be baptized. He surprised us by doing so and since then we have seen a tremendous change in him. He is a natural leader already, but now he leads during the storying sessions giving great insights and helping others learn too. I think that now that he decided he was really going to do this, he is all in. It is exciting to see.

Being a part of a river baptism in a community where the river is such a central part of life reveals one of the intentions of baptism, to be a witness to others. It would be impossible to have the baptism and not draw a crowd. After the baptism, Trent and Ascencio, the Guarayo believer, were able to share the Gospel to those standing around. Here is Trent going after it.

Prayer time with the new baptized believers

All in all, four people got baptized that day. But a bigger group of people have said they have decided to follow Christ and after seeing the baptism, many others have said they want to get baptized too. Please pray for these new believers in their new walk with the Lord and for the others that they would follow their example and be baptized. Praise the Lord for what He has done!!!

Empty Nest Syndrome

For the past 4 years we have been surrounded by young guys who we have trained with or who have been on our team. They have eaten countless meals at our house, spent holidays with us, and loved on our kids like uncles. They have all gone home now, either because their time is up on the team or they are going home to rest for a while before getting back to the work in about a year. Our most recent team members are all visiting with their moms right now, which I must admit, makes me feel more at ease, since I know their moms are making sure they are well fed.

We have been really busy since the last one left just a couple of weeks ago, but to be honest, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. The house is quiet and we actually have leftovers. We miss those guys who we have taken care of and looked up to at the same time. As Trent likes to say in sad moments, “One day soon we’ll all be dead and then we can be together forever.” He has a way with words, doesn’t he.

Spiritual Warfare

From what we’ve seen, spiritual warfare hasn’t been encountering demon possessed people or having people tell us they see angels surrounding us, although I think these things happen. I think more often though, spiritual warfare is much more subtle. And when you think about it, it is most effective for Satan when the people he is attacking don’t even know they are being attacked.

I’ve seen Satan use roadblocks time and time again here in Bolivia to keep us from where we want to be. I don’t know that he is necessarily causing the roadblocks to happen but he sure doesn’t pass up the opportunity. The times that our team has been the most discouraged and disillusioned has been when we are stuck and are unable to get out to the communities.

The other night after we realized we weren’t going to get to the community because of yet another roadblock, I started having discouraging thoughts about everything, from not having as much time as we’ve wanted in the community to not progressing as we quickly as we may have wanted. I was feeling down and then one thought entered my mind that made me know these thoughts were not my own, but were being put there to discourage me. I thought, all this work for just a few people to know Christ. I knew this was not my own thought. These few people have no access to the Gospel otherwise and I believe the work our team has put into them was completely worth it.

I had no reason to be anything but encouraged about how our ministry is wrapping up before our stateside break and here I was doubting everything. It is not the first time I felt a whisper of discouragement in my ear and in that instant I realized what was happening. It seems like as soon as the enemy’s schemes are brought to the light, they flee. And as soon as they came, they were gone.

The enemy uses other tactics and I’ve seen a lot of the same things over and over again. Our team members, Adam and Jessica, have been getting ready for a training. As they were preparing, Adam had to head up and down the river and his boat kept breaking down even though it was in great condition and there was no reason for it to keep breaking. One day, as he was traveling with a few other guys on the team, the motor caught on fire. The other two guys couldn’t swim so they had to get to the shore quickly and watched the motor burn up for about 30 minutes. They were all pretty shaken up and really felt like they had been very close to death. Trent tried to encourage Adam by telling him to be excited! The Lord must be about to do something great if the enemy is trying so hard to stop this training from happening. They started the training on Monday so be praying for them and for the trainees that the Lord is sure to use.

Our guys just recently headed back home to their families for a much needed furlough. Of course they were looking forward to the time to be with their families and relax, but as soon as they got home, they were met with problems and it wasn’t like they thought it was going to be. Right as Roberto got home, his family got involved in a legal issue and instead of spending his first week home enjoying time with his family, everyday, all day was spent working on those problems. Javier got home and a few days later his cousin was unjustly put in prison and he had to try to help him with all of the legal issues, which can be impossible in Peru. While all of this was going on, he got a call saying his mom fell and badly hurt her back.

I’ve never been in a real fist fight, but spiritual warfare feels like that to me. You get knocked down and you have to just get back up and keep fighting. Sometimes it feels like when you are down, you get hit again and again. That’s when it gets exhausting and that’s when it’s important to realize and bring to light what is happening. That’s when we most need prayers and encouragement. I think a lot of people mistake these problems for reasons to give up, but the Lord never uses discouragement to tell you to quit. Only the enemy does that. So that’s when we have to get up, dust ourselves off and keep fighting.

Please Pray

Please pray for one of our team members, Uzias, whose mom just passed away with appendicitis. Because of how remote Uzias is working and living, it took several days for the family to get the news to him. Please pray for him during this difficult time.

Salvatierra

We are in the process of wrapping up our time in Salvatierra, the community where our team has been working for over a year now. The guys have already said goodbye and just this week Trent and Roberto went out there to see them and set up things for a trip our family is planning to take in August. Trent said when they got there everyone was excited to see them and immediately started pulling chairs out of their houses to hear a Bible story.

There is a solid Bible storying group going that have heard the full evangelism track of stories. We feel like they have decided to follow Christ and see themselves as the church, but have struggled with the issue of baptism and have not made that step yet. This is a huge deal culturally as it would further isolate them from those who haven’t been baptized and isn’t as culturally acceptable as it is in our culture. But we do think that this step is vital to the health of the church and to them as new believers. Please pray that in the next month as our family travels out there that they will understand the need to take this first step in obedience and be baptized.

Our Family of Peace

 

 

 

Trent is Home

Trent is home and his visa issue is resolved! Thanks for praying.

A Visa Mix-up

I put in an earlier post that Trent’s passport wasn’t stamped the last time we went into Peru. So he has had to travel back over the border to correct this problem so that it doesn’t affect us when we try to move back there next term. Please pray that everything would be resolved quickly and for me and the kids as we wait for him here in Bolivia.

Our Latest Adventure Part VI

The day dawned cold and crisp as we entered the small bus station to head back home to Bolivia. The room was laid out football field style with a row of windows selling snacks on one side and the bus company windows on the other side. Lines of Quechua people sat bundled up in their tradition dress staring at a TV showing a traditional group dance that had recently been recorded. Occasionally I would look up to see people giggling and talking about Jack and Maya. We didn’t exactly blend in.

I tried to keep my emotions in check since I knew that in a few minutes we would be saying goodbye to Javier for at least a year. Jack sat in Javier’s lap so content to be there and I looked away. Caleb and Deborah came with us and brought us some breakfast to go in a pot: some sweet rice, potatoes and boiled eggs. The bus was late and we waited for what seemed like forever. But as soon as it arrived they rushed us out so quickly. We said a quick goodbye to Javier as he kissed the kids and we were off.

Everyone else in the family fell asleep almost immediately but I was overcome with emotion. Not just the sadness I felt for having said goodbye to Javier, but with the deep contentedness I felt for having spent the last several days with our friends that we work side by side with. I thought of each of their unique stories and how God brought them to himself, to his work, and to the team. I thought of the night before when we all took the Lord’s supper together and it made me think of one day when we will all sit around a table together in heaven. I always like to have people around my table, but I’m pretty sure we will dine at their houses since they will have the bigger mansions. I can imagine us all eating with the Lord (that’s something I think we don’t think about often enough) and recalling stories of when they did his work. I imagined him looking at each of them and saying, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Jack waiting at the bus station with Javier.

 

When we cross this particular border we load all of our stuff up on one of these bike carts taxis. Jack hopped on with the suitcases.

Maya crossing the border on one of our previous trips.

Maya looking out the bus window. She looks very pensive.

 

 

Our Latest Adventure Part V

I wasn’t sure if I had the energy for one more leg of our trip but I sure am glad it happened. We had tentatively planned a Latin leadership meeting but since some of our team members live in remote places with no communication, it was up to the last minute before we knew who all would get to come. Things came together and Trent found a promotion on a plane ticket that cost the  same as a bus ticket! It actually ended up being less since Maya doesn’t pay for a plane ticket but does pay for her own seat on a bus. What took us one hour to fly would have been 20 hours on a bus.

We arrived in Cusco, the most tourist intense part of Peru since it is the closest airport to Machu Pichu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We entered the small airport to see people dressed in traditional dress dancing a traditional dance. This is something you might see in a parade in South America. Trent and I rolled our eyes since this kind of tourist stuff really annoys us. Jack got scared and ran into a nearby office.

Trent haggled with the taxi driver who wanted to outrageously overcharge us and we made it to the smaller town of Sicuani right after nightfall. Everyone was waiting for us and had already found us a reasonably priced hostal to stay in (about $15 a night). We decided to have the meeting here because it is centrally located and because two of our team members, Caleb and Deborah, live there.

It was cold. The hotel owner boasted that they had solar powered hot water, but that you needed to shower in the afternoon in order for it to be hot. We soon learned that what they really meant was that it was occasionally lukewarm, which doesn’t help much when the air around you is freezing. We decided we’d just go a few days without bathing. To be honest with you, we’ve done it before. The kids got layered and layered and layered and then wore these cute hats to stay warm.

Even though we were uncomfortable physically, these few days of meetings were incredible spiritually and for our team. The overall strategy of the team really started to come together for everyone and everyone really seemed to jump on board. Occasionally people would teach a Bible story, Trent would teach classes, and everyone gave a report of how everything was going in their ministry and ask for advice. We talked about some exciting future plans for the team and for individuals on the team. Caleb’s dad cooked two out of three meals every day, which was amazing. The whole meeting was incredibly inexpensive and easily put together. This has been a huge goal of ours to have meetings in a way that wouldn’t cost much so that our Latin partners will be able to have them without us.

My favorite day of the meeting was when we went out to the country to the house where Caleb grew up. The kids chased the animals around while Roberto taught a Bible story out in the family’s fields. Off in the distance, Caleb’s relatives were cooking “watia,” a traditional Quechua potato that is cooked in the ground. Roberto taught the story from Luke 10 when Jesus sent out his followers two by two to go into the villages. This is a very well-known story in our team since we base a lot of our strategy off of this model. All someone has to do is say Luke 10 and everyone knows what story they are referring to.

As the comments started rolling in I had one of those moments when I knew I was in the presence of greatness. Caleb recalled a time when he and a partner were going to a place where they knew outsiders had been killed before. He said, “You can say you trust the Lord in everything but then that feeling of fear is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.” He talked about how the idea of trusting the Lord was taken to a whole new level.

Usias said how encouraged he was by the story. Usias and his wife Sabina couldn’t find any financial support in order to go out and do missions. But they went anyway. They got permission to live in a community, Usias built their house, he hunts and fishes for food, and Sabina makes jewelry to sell and they have been living and sharing Bible stories in this community for almost two years now. Usias said, “Jesus sent out these men with nothing too. This really encourages me.”

That afternoon we sat around a small table in the mud brick Quechua house peeling our potatoes accompanied by our cheese and guinea pig (a very traditional dish among Quechua people in Peru). Maya sat in Roberto’s lap and ate almost all of his guinea pig.

Trent talking to Caleb and Deborah.

Roberto teaching Luke 10 amongst the beautiful scenery. You can seen the woman and the girl in the background making the watia.

Caleb holding Maya

Trent zipped up one of the kittens into Jack's jacket. Also on the farm were pigs, chickens, and ducks.

Our delicious lunch

Caleb is working on a guinea pig project to support his ministry.

The last night of our meeting we all gathered in the small upstairs room of Caleb and Deborah’s house for the Lord’s supper. After we shared a meal, we lit some candles, read the passage about Jesus taking the wine and bread, passed some bread around and then passed the wine cup. When the cup came to each person, he or she would share whatever was on his heart at the moment. We prayed, shared, and sang together. Again, it was a very special moment. Being in such a small, intimate room made me realize how the Lord was bringing us even closer together spiritually, with one vision and one goal for the future of our team. This meeting was probably the highlight of our time on the mission field so far.

Roberto and I encouraging each other to finish our second plate of food. There was so much food!

Getting out the maps to see where the Lord might take us next!

The whole group on our last night together